Operation Danny
Encyclopedia
Operation Danny was an Israeli military offensive launched at the end of the first truce of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
. The objectives were to capture territory east of Tel Aviv
and then to push inland and relieve the Jewish population and forces in Jerusalem. The main forces fighting against the IDF
were the Arab Legion
and Palestinian irregulars
It was launched at the end of the first truce, July 9–19, 1948. The operation was named after Danny Mass, the commander of the "Convoy of 35
". The operation commander was Yigal Allon
and his deputy was Yitzhak Rabin
. The total force numbered around 6,000 men.
and Ramle, located on the road to Jerusalem, southeast of Tel Aviv
. Ramle was one of the main obstacles blocking Jewish transportation. From the start of the war, Lydda and Ramle militiamen had attacked Jewish traffic on nearby roads. Ramle became a focal point for blocking Jewish transportation, forcing traffic from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv to a southern bypass.
The second phase was to capture the fort at Latrun
and break through Ramallah
. The operation was carried out under Palmach
command using the Yiftach Brigade
, the Harel Brigade
, the 8th Armored Brigade and two battalions from the Kiryati
and Alexandroni
brigades.
On 9 July units from the Yiftach Brigade began approaching Ramle from the south. At the same time troops form the other brigades began attacking villages north of Lydda. Caught in a pincer movement and with only a token Arab Legion presence the two towns were captured the following day. This put Lydda airport and the strategic railway station at Ramle in Israeli hands. Two days after the capture of Lydda and Ramle only a few hundred of the 50,000 to 70,000 residents remained in the two towns.
)
The second phase of the operation failed after several costly attacks on Arab Legion positions at Latrun and the threat of a UN-imposed cease-fire.
on 18 July 1948. Seven were killed in the capture of Lydda.
1948 Arab-Israeli War
The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, known to Israelis as the War of Independence or War of Liberation The war commenced after the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine and the creation of an independent Israel at midnight on 14 May 1948 when, following a period of civil war, Arab armies invaded...
. The objectives were to capture territory east of Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
and then to push inland and relieve the Jewish population and forces in Jerusalem. The main forces fighting against the IDF
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
were the Arab Legion
Arab Legion
The Arab Legion was the regular army of Transjordan and then Jordan in the early part of the 20th century.-Creation:...
and Palestinian irregulars
It was launched at the end of the first truce, July 9–19, 1948. The operation was named after Danny Mass, the commander of the "Convoy of 35
Convoy of 35
The Convoy of 35 refers to 35 soldiers of the Haganah who were killed while attempting to resupply and or reinforce the Gush Etzion kibbutzim by foot on January 16, 1948, after a number of convoys had been attacked during the early stages of the 1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine.- Attack...
". The operation commander was Yigal Allon
Yigal Allon
Yigal Allon was an Israeli politician, a commander of the Palmach, and a general in the IDF. He served as one of the leaders of Ahdut HaAvoda party and the Israeli Labor party, and acting Prime Minister of Israel, and was a member of the Knesset and government minister from the 10th through the...
and his deputy was Yitzhak Rabin
Yitzhak Rabin
' was an Israeli politician, statesman and general. He was the fifth Prime Minister of Israel, serving two terms in office, 1974–77 and 1992 until his assassination in 1995....
. The total force numbered around 6,000 men.
Objectives
The first phase of Operation Danny was to capture the cities of LyddaLod
Lod is a city located on the Sharon Plain southeast of Tel Aviv in the Center District of Israel. At the end of 2010, it had a population of 70,000, roughly 75 percent Jewish and 25 percent Arab.The name is derived from the Biblical city of Lod...
and Ramle, located on the road to Jerusalem, southeast of Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
. Ramle was one of the main obstacles blocking Jewish transportation. From the start of the war, Lydda and Ramle militiamen had attacked Jewish traffic on nearby roads. Ramle became a focal point for blocking Jewish transportation, forcing traffic from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv to a southern bypass.
The second phase was to capture the fort at Latrun
Latrun
Latrun is a strategic hilltop in the Ayalon Valley in Israel overlooking the road to Jerusalem. It is located 25 kilometers west of Jerusalem and 14 kilometers southeast of Ramla.-Etymology:...
and break through Ramallah
Ramallah
Ramallah is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank located 10 kilometers north of Jerusalem, adjacent to al-Bireh. It currently serves as the de facto administrative capital of the Palestinian National Authority...
. The operation was carried out under Palmach
Palmach
The Palmach was the elite fighting force of the Haganah, the underground army of the Yishuv during the period of the British Mandate of Palestine. The Palmach was established on May 15, 1941...
command using the Yiftach Brigade
Yiftach Brigade
The Yiftach Brigade was an Israeli infantry brigade...
, the Harel Brigade
Harel Brigade
Harel Brigade is a reserve brigade of the Israel Defense Forces, today part of the Northern Command. It played a critical role in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.- War of Independence :...
, the 8th Armored Brigade and two battalions from the Kiryati
Kiryati Brigade
The Kiryati Brigade was formed in 1948 by David Ben-Gurion and was one of the original nine brigades that made up the Haganah. The Kiryati Brigade was initially responsible for securing the area in and around Tel Aviv...
and Alexandroni
Alexandroni Brigade
The Alexandroni Brigade is an Israel Defense Forces brigade that fought in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. Along with the 7th Armoured Brigade both units had 139 killed during the first battle of Latrun - Operation Ben Nun Alef .The unit is currently a reserve unit.-Katz controversy:In 1998, Teddy Katz...
brigades.
Lydda and Ramle
(see Exodus from Lydda)On 9 July units from the Yiftach Brigade began approaching Ramle from the south. At the same time troops form the other brigades began attacking villages north of Lydda. Caught in a pincer movement and with only a token Arab Legion presence the two towns were captured the following day. This put Lydda airport and the strategic railway station at Ramle in Israeli hands. Two days after the capture of Lydda and Ramle only a few hundred of the 50,000 to 70,000 residents remained in the two towns.
Latrun
(see Battles of LatrunBattles of Latrun
The Battles of Latrun were a series of military engagements between the Israel Defense Forces and the Jordanian Arab Legion on the outskirts of Latrun between 25 May and 18 July 1948, during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. Latrun takes its name from the monastery close to the junction of two major...
)
The second phase of the operation failed after several costly attacks on Arab Legion positions at Latrun and the threat of a UN-imposed cease-fire.
Casualties
The Palmach record the names of ninety-one of its members killed during this Operation. Forty-four were killed at Khirbet KurikurShilta
Shilta was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Ramla. It was depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War on July 18, 1948 by the First Battalion of the Yiftach Brigade of Operation Dani. It was located 15 km east of Ramla....
on 18 July 1948. Seven were killed in the capture of Lydda.
Palestinian communities captured
(Most of the villages were systematically destroyed shortly after capture)| Name | Date | Defending forces | Brigade | Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dayr Tarif Dayr Tarif Dayr Tarif was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Ramla.The Romans referred to Dayr Tarif as Bethariph. It was depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War on July 10, 1948 by the Ninth Commando Battalion of the Armored Brigade of Operation Dani... |
9 July 1948 | Arab Legion | Armoured Brigade Kiryati Brigade |
1,750 |
| Al-Tira Al-Tira (Ramla) Al-Tira was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Ramla. It was depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War on July 10, 1948 by the Alexandroni and Armored brigades under Operation Dani. It was located 12 km northeast of Ramla... |
10 July 1948 | n/a | Alexandroni Brigade 8th Armoured Brigade |
1,290 |
| Daniyal Daniyal Daniyal was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Ramla. It was depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War on July 10, 1948 by the Yiftach Brigade under the first phase of Operation Dani. It was located 5 km east of Ramla and south-east of Lydda.In 1945 it had a population of 410... |
10 July 1948 | n/a | Yiftach Brigade | 410 |
| Kharruba Kharruba Kharruba was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Ramla. It was depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War on July 12, 1948 by the Yiftach Brigade. It was located 8 km east of Ramla. Kharruba was completely destroyed soon after occupation, and only rubble was left behind.In 1945 the... |
10 July 1948 | n/a | Yiftach Brigade | 170 |
| al-Barriyya Al-Barriyya Al-Barriyya was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Ramla. It was depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War on July 10, 1948 as part of Operation Dani. It was located 5.5 km southeast of Ramla on the eastern bank of Wadi al-Barriyya.... |
9–10 July 1948 | n/a | n/a | 510 |
| 'Innaba | 10 July 1948 | 200 villagers | Yiftach Brigade 8th Brigade |
1,420 |
| Jimzu Jimzu Jimzu also known as Gimzo, , was a Palestinian village, located three miles southeast of Lydda. Under the 1947 UN Partition Plan of British Mandate Palestine, Jimzu was to form part of the proposed Arab state... |
10 July 1948 | n/a | Yiftach Brigade Yiftach Brigade The Yiftach Brigade was an Israeli infantry brigade... |
1,150 |
| Rantiya Rantiya Rantiya was a Palestinian village, located 16 kilometers east of Jaffa. During the British Mandate in Palestine, it had a population of approximately 600 inhabitants.... |
10 July 1948 | n/a | 8th Armoured Brigade 3rd Battalion, Alexandroni Brigade |
590 |
| Lydda Lod Lod is a city located on the Sharon Plain southeast of Tel Aviv in the Center District of Israel. At the end of 2010, it had a population of 70,000, roughly 75 percent Jewish and 25 percent Arab.The name is derived from the Biblical city of Lod... |
11 July 1948 | n/a | 3rd Battalion, Yiftah Brigade | see Ramle |
| Al-Jura Al-Jura Al-Jura was a Palestinian village that was depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, located approximately two kilometers west of Majdal . In 1945, the village had a population of approximately 2,420 mostly Muslim inhabitants... |
11 July 1948 | n/a | n/a | 420 |
| Al-Muzayri'a Al-Muzayri'a -Location:Al-Muzayri'a was located north-northeast of al-Ramla, on limestone hill, overlooking the coastal plain. A wadi ran along its southern part, and separated it from the village of Qula. The village was about 1 km east of the al-Ramla-Haifa railway line. It was also located to the east... |
12 July 1948 | n/a | n/a | 1,160 |
| Ramle | 12 July 1948 | Arab Legion withdrew | Kiryati Brigade | 50-70,000 combined with Lydda including 15,000 refugees from Jaffa |
| Majdal Yaba Majdal Yaba Majdal Yaba was a Palestinian Arab village located northeast of Ramla and east of Jaffa. A walled city stood at the same site as early as 3000 BCE, and Majdal Yaba is first mentioned by the name Aphek in Egyptian Execration texts dating to the 19th century BCE... |
12 July 1948 | Iraqi army | 2nd Battalion, Alexandroni Brigade | 1,520 |
| Al-Haditha Al-Haditha Al-Haditha was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Ramla. It was located 8 km northeast of Ramla, situated on the west bank of Wadi al-Natuf.... |
12 July 1948 | n/a | n/a | 760 |
| Abu al-Fadl | 12–13 July 1948 | n/a | n/a | 510 |
| Suba, Jerusalem Suba, Jerusalem Suba was a Palestinian Arab village west of Jerusalem that was depopulated and destroyed in 1948. The site of the village lies on the summit of a conical hill called Tel Tzova , or Jabal Suba, rising 769 metres above sea level, and it was built on the ruins of a Crusader castle.- Post-Crusader... |
12–13 July 1948 | "bloodless" | Har'el Brigade | 620 |
| Khirbat al-Lawz | 13–14 July 1948 | n/a | Har'el Brigade | 450 |
| Sar'a Sar'a Sar'a , was a Palestinian Arab village located 25 km west of Jerusalem.-History:The Canaanites referred to Sar'a by the name of Sur'a or Zorah, mentioned in the Amarna letters. It was known as part of the territory of the Tribe of Judah, on the boundary of the Tribe of Dan. Later, the Romans... |
13–14 July 1948 | Egyptian forces | 4th Battalion Har'el Brigade | 340 |
| Sataf Sataf Sataf was an Arab village in the District of Jerusalem depopulated during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. It is located 10 km west of Jerusalem, with Sorek riverbed bordering the east.... |
13–14 July 1948 | n/a | Har'el Brigade | 540 |
| al-Maliha | 14–16 July 1948 | Egyptian irregulars Palestinian militia |
Irgun Palmach Youth |
1,940 |
| al-Burj Al-Burj al-Burj is a Palestinian village located twenty kilometers southwest of Hebron.The village is in the Hebron Governorate, southern West Bank. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the village had a population of 2,578 464 in 2007... |
15 July 1948 | Arab Legion | n/a | 480 |
| Kh al-Buwayra | mid July 1948 | n/a | n/a | 190 |
| Salbit Salbit Salbit was a Palestinian Arab village located southeast of al-Ramla. It has been identified with the biblical town of Shaalabbin which was located northwest of biblical Aijalon . Salbit was depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war after a military assault by Israeli forces... |
15–16 July 1948 | Arab Legion | 2nd Battalion, Kiryati Brigade | 510 |
| Bayt Nabala Bayt Nabala Bayt Nabala or Beit Nabala was a Palestinian Arab village in the district of Ramla in Mandatory Palestine that was destroyed during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. The village was in the territory allotted to the Arab state under the 1947 UN Partition Plan... |
15–16 July 1948 | Arab Legion 150-200 men |
n/a | 2,310 |
| Bir Ma'in Bir Ma'in Bir Ma'in was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Ramla. It was depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War on July 15, 1948 during the second phase of Operation Danny by the First and Second Battalions of the Yiftach Brigade. It was located 14 km east of Ramla. The village was... |
15–16 July 1948 | Arab Legion | Yiftach Brigade 1st & 2nd Battalions |
510 |
| Barfiliya Barfiliya Barfiliya was a Palestinian Arab village located east of Ramla that was depopulated during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. Located on a tell, excavations conducted there by Israeli archaeologists beginning in 1995 found artifacts dating back to the Pre-Pottery Neolithic A period .Barfiliya lay on a... |
15–16 July 1948 | n/a | Givati and Kiryati Brigades 8th Armoured |
730 |
| Kasla | 16 July 1948 | n/a | Har'el Brigade | 280 |
| Dayr 'Amr Boys Farm | 16 July 1948 | none | 4th Battalion Har'el Brigade | 10 |
| Ishwa' Ishwa' Ishwa was a Palestinian village that was captured by Israel during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. The village was located about 20 km west of Jerusalem, on the present location of Eshta'ol. In the 1931 British census of Palestine, Ishwa had a population of 468 in 126 houses... |
16 July 1948 | n/a | 4th Battalion Har'el Brigade | 620 |
| Artuf Artuf Artuf was a Palestinian village in the Jerusalem foothills depopulated in 1948. It was situated west of Jerusalem on a high plateau, surrounded by plains on the south, east, and west... |
17–18 July 1948 | Palestinian militia under Egyptian command |
4th Battalion Har'el Brigade | 350 |
| Islin Islin - History :In 1596, Islin appeared as Islit in Ottoman tax registers as being in the Nahiya of Ramla of the Liwa of Jaffa. It had a population of 14 Muslim households and paid taxes on wheat, barley, and goats or beehives.... |
18 July 1948 | n/a | n/a | 260 |
| Shilta Shilta Shilta was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Ramla. It was depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War on July 18, 1948 by the First Battalion of the Yiftach Brigade of Operation Dani. It was located 15 km east of Ramla.... |
18 July 1948 | Arab Legion | 1st Battalion, Yiftach Brigade lost 44 men withdrawing |
100 |
Sources:
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Units
- Overall Commander: Yigal AllonYigal AllonYigal Allon was an Israeli politician, a commander of the Palmach, and a general in the IDF. He served as one of the leaders of Ahdut HaAvoda party and the Israeli Labor party, and acting Prime Minister of Israel, and was a member of the Knesset and government minister from the 10th through the...
- 8th Armored Brigade Commander Yitzhak SadehYitzhak SadehYitzhak Sadeh , was the commander of the Palmach, one of the founders of the Israel Defense Forces at the time of the establishment of the State of Israel and a cousin of British philosopher Isaiah Berlin.-Biography:...
- Alexandroni BrigadeAlexandroni BrigadeThe Alexandroni Brigade is an Israel Defense Forces brigade that fought in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. Along with the 7th Armoured Brigade both units had 139 killed during the first battle of Latrun - Operation Ben Nun Alef .The unit is currently a reserve unit.-Katz controversy:In 1998, Teddy Katz...
- Kiryati BrigadeKiryati BrigadeThe Kiryati Brigade was formed in 1948 by David Ben-Gurion and was one of the original nine brigades that made up the Haganah. The Kiryati Brigade was initially responsible for securing the area in and around Tel Aviv...
(two battalions) - Yiftach BrigadeYiftach BrigadeThe Yiftach Brigade was an Israeli infantry brigade...
Commander Mula Cohen
See also
- List of Israeli military operations in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war
- Exodus from Lydda